


Your Spirit Is Sweet

by Actual_Dunwich_Horror



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bo works on a farm!!!, Fluff, Getting Together, Kreids and Mika are basically Kaapo's dads, M/M, Rare Pairings, very rare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22576933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actual_Dunwich_Horror/pseuds/Actual_Dunwich_Horror
Summary: Kaapo works part time at the Ranger's Roast Coffee Shop while he goes to school. It's an easygoing job and his coworkers are great, but there's nothing super extravagant about it.That is, until one day when someone comes through the drive thru on a horse.
Relationships: Bowen Byram/Kaapo Kakko, Chris Kreider/Mika Zibanejad
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	Your Spirit Is Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> This is completely fictional!!! Turn away if you or someone you know are mentioned in this!
> 
> Sooo I've been wanting to write a coffee shop au for a while now, and I've wanted more fic with Kaapo, so I figured what the hell? Coffee shop Kaapo. As for this ship, I have NO real reason for it, other than the fact that they're both cute blondes from the same draft class. Thanks to teej for helping me come up with this pairing! Thanks to Rach for the beta and for loaning me all your Rangers knowledge! 
> 
> Also, fun fact: part of this is based on a true story. :)
> 
> Title is from Plant Life by Owl City. Enjoy!

Kaapo was fairly content with his job at the coffee shop.

Sure, it took a bit of time to get into the swing of things, but once he was there, the job was pretty smooth. It helped him practice his english, and the environment as a whole was incredibly inclusive. No one talked to him like he was stupid, and he was treated with respect. 

When he’d first arrived in the U.S. for school, it hadn’t always been that way, so working at the Ranger’s Roast Coffee Shop was a breath of fresh air, especially since a few of Kaapo’s coworkers were also European.

He’d first heard of the place from his friend Lias, who apparently was addicted to the coffee there, and explained to Kaapo that the place was owned by a super hot Swedish guy and that they were hiring.

And, well, Kaapo was a college student who needed money, so. Why not?

He did  _ not _ expect to actually get hired, but he took the whole thing in stride and came to love the shop and his coworkers.

He was taken under the wing of his coworker Mika (mainly because Mika spoke his fair share of Finnish) and was basically work-adopted by him, and by default, his fiance Chris (aka Kreids) who also worked at the shop. Kaapo didn’t mind, really. Mika was kind-hearted and patient, and he never pushed Kaapo too hard, especially when it came to interacting with customers.

“I know how it can be,” Mika had said. “You’re in a new country where you’re still trying to get used to everything. It can be overwhelming.”

Kaapo had come to know a few of their regulars, and they were always patient with him. It was a relief; being treated like a child by your peers was one thing, but when it was by a customer… Well, it was frustrating. Marc usually was the one who told customers off when they did so, essentially thrusting their coffees into their hands and pointing them to the door, and he’d let Kaapo switch to making drinks for the remainder of his shift.

For the most part, though, Kaapo’s job was smooth sailing, and rather uneventful.

That is, until one rather chilly September afternoon.

Kaapo was stationed at the drive thru (hardly anyone ever came through on Tuesday in the middle of the day, so he didn’t mind), sweeping the floor when he heard the most odd noise through his headset. At first, he thought it must’ve been Kreids accidentally pressing a button on his own headset, but after glancing at the drive thru monitor, Kaapo was more than a little shocked at the true source of the noise.

Some guy was on a  _ horse  _ in the drive thru. A big, beautiful, slightly terrifying  _ horse _ . Kaapo wasn’t sure what he expected Americans to be like, but this was like something out of a movie.

“So sorry about the wait. What would you like?” Kaapo sputtered. His fingers hovered over the monitor, still slightly in awe over the  _ horse  _ that was currently sniffing at the drive thru camera.

“No worries! Wendy here doesn’t usually set off the car sensor.” The guy on the horse laughed, and Kaapo couldn’t help but smile at how ridiculous the whole thing was. “Anywho, I think I’ll take… hm… what do you recommend? I don’t drink coffee too often.”

“Well… do you prefer sweet drinks or strong drinks?”

“Definitely sweet. I’ve got quite the sweet tooth. Do you have anything with caramel?”

“Caramel macchiatos, caramel lattes, caramel hot chocolate…” Kaapo listed just about their entire menu, because, well. You could add caramel to almost all of their drinks.

“Hm… I’ll keep it simple, I guess. A small caramel latte will do. Oh, but could I get whipped cream on that?”

“Sure,” Kaapo hit a few buttons on his monitor. “Anything else?”

“That’ll be all, thank you.”

Kaapo told him his total, and watched as the horse disappeared from view on his monitor.

Kreids sauntered over with the latte, handing it over to Kaapo before asking, “What was that about?”

“He’s on a horse,” Kaapo said, shaking his head with a grin.

“A  _ horse _ ? Holy shit, I didn’t think we were  _ that  _ far from the city.”

Not even a moment later, Kaapo was opening the drive thru window to come face to face with a beautiful brown horse, and--

An equally beautiful rider.

He was blonde, wearing a flannel shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots, sporting a grin that was as bright as the sun itself. Kaapo immediately felt a bit embarrassed; he almost  _ definitely _ still had stains on his blue apron from when he spilled hot chocolate a few days ago. And his hair was probably a mess. Awesome.

“Hi, it’ll be $3.35 please.” Kaapo mentally patted himself on the back for not stuttering.

The guy fished a five dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Kaapo. He didn’t stop smiling. “Here you go. Oh, and keep the change!”

“Thanks,” Kaapo said with a small smile, putting the change in the tip jar. “Here’s your latte.”

“Thank you!” He said as he took the drink. “Hey, is it alright if I hitch Wendy up at one of the tables out front? I’ll sit there with her of course, but I just thought I’d ask.”

“Um,” Kaapo had never exactly been faced with anything like this, but… He was pretty sure that Henrik would be fine with it. “Sure, yeah.”

“Awesome!” He turned and took a sip of the latte, not moving from the window. “Oh man, that’s pretty good! Thanks, uh,” he leaned down, trying to read Kaapo’s name tag. “Kaapo, huh? Oh man, I can’t be pronouncing that right…” His brow furrowed and he cocked his head to the side in thought, and holy shit. Kaapo felt like he was going to melt into a heap due to the butterflies in his stomach.

“It’s  _ Kaapo, _ ” Kaapo corrected, slowing down the pronunciation and offering a smile.

“Oh, wow! You’re not from around here, huh?”

“No. I’m Finnish. Came here for school,” Kaapo said with a shrug.

“Oh hey, me too! The school part, I mean; I’m Canadian. I moved down here recently for university and for work.” He replied with a shrug of his own. “Where are my manners, wow. I’m Bowen, but you can call me Bo. Pleasure meeting you, Kaapo!”

The next thing Kaapo knew, Bo was gone, and he closed the drive thru window with a huff.

Kaapo went to the front counter to look out the front window, and sure enough, Bo was hitching his horse to one of the tables. Kaapo watched, mesmerised, until Bo sat down and took another sip of his latte.

“Mika! Babe, come here, I think Kaapo’s got a crush!”

Almost immediately, Mika ran from the back room, leaving behind the cups he’d been restocking. “Whoa, wait, what?”

“There’s this horse kid,” Kreids explained, enthusiastically pointing out the window. “And Kaapo  _ totally  _ had heart eyes. You should’ve seen. It was kind of adorable.”

“Oh my god,” Mika sighed and turned to Kaapo. “ _ Ohita vain hänet. Hän on tyhmä _ .”

Kreids huffed and turned back to the espresso machine, grumbling about not knowing Finnish. Kaapo just smiled and shook his head at the couple’s antics.

Not too long later, Kaapo was restocking tea bags up front when he chanced a glance out front. Bo had finished his latte and was letting Wendy lick the cup. It was surprisingly adorable.

//

Kaapo really, really didn’t expect Bo to come back. At least, not so soon.

He came through the drive thru again, only this time it was Brady who was assigned at the window. When Kaapo was finished making the latte for Bo, he handed it to Brady, and made sure to peek out the window to wave to Bo.

Kaapo got chirped for this later, of course, but he didn’t mind.

//

Things went on like this:

Kaapo made sure to work midday on Tuesdays, and without fail, Bo came by every week, ordering something with caramel and extra whipped cream. He and Kaapo would chat from time to time, just briefly, about the weather, coffee, traffic… all sorts of little things. But after a few weeks, Bo asked if Kaapo was allowed to come out front and sit with him and Wendy for a little while.

So, Kaapo made sure to take his break after he’d given Bo his drink, and not a moment later.

It felt oddly intimate, at first, sitting with Bo. They actually talked about  _ personal _ subjects, like what their majors were, what life was like back in their respective countries, what it was like working as a barista and on the farm. But over time, it became comfortable, and the warmth in Kaapo’s chest only grew every time he sat with Bo. It was enough to drown out the early October chill.

His coworkers grew used to it, although Kreids never got over it. He thought it was too cute. (And, so what? Kaapo agreed with him.)

The Tuesday before Halloween, though, was a little different.

Kaapo was wiping down the counters when Bo came in, his usual smile in full force, but he was followed by a big group of guys in similar outfits; flannels, jeans, and cowboy boots. A few of them even wore cowboy hats. It was… a lot.

They were loud, a smidge  _ too  _ loud, and Kaapo was afraid that Marc was going to try and throw them all out. Bo was trying (and failing) to corral them all, but they just ignored him. Kaapo watched as Bo facepalmed defeatedly, and walked up to the register where Marc begrudgingly took his order.

A sticker popped out of the machine for a blended salted caramel iced coffee with extra whipped cream, and Kaapo set to work getting the drink made. Bo drifted over to the side of the counter where Kaapo was, and beamed at him.

“Hey Kaapo!”

“Hi Bo. What’s with all the cowboys?” Kaapo asked with a smile.

“Oh, they couldn’t be real cowboys if their lives depended on it,” Bo laughed. “They’re the other farmhands I work with. They’d noticed me sneaking off every Tuesday and they wanted an excuse to get out of work for a little bit, so… they sorta followed me here.” Bo’s face suddenly turned a bit red. Kaapo tried not to think about it too much.

“I see… I know how it is to have nosy coworkers.”

“You do? Who here is nosy?” Bo had come to know all of the other baristas since he’d become a regular there. “Wait, wait, let me guess. Chris?”

“Yep. He doesn’t know how to mind his business sometimes,” Kaapo laughed.

Bo returned to his group of rowdy farmhands, and soon enough, all of them had gotten through the line and ordered. There were quite a few drinks to make, but Kaapo stayed near the front so that he could continue to talk to Bo. He wasn’t going to go on break until all the drinks were done; he knew better than to leave his coworkers hanging like that.

“So, Kaapo, I have someone I want you to meet,” Bo said once Kaapo had taken his apron off and started his break. He was a little nervous about who Bo was going to introduce him to; he was afraid of learning that Bo wasn’t single.

“This is Mikko,” Bo gestured to a big, smiley blonde sitting at one of the tables, and they sat down with him. “He’s Finnish, like you!”

Kaapo’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Wow, great to meet you,” Kaapo said, shaking Mikko’s hand. “What part of Finland are you from? I’m from Turku.”

“I was born in Nousiainen but I lived in Turku,” Mikko replied with a bright grin. “ _ On hienoa tavata toista suomalaista täällä valtioissa.” _

The two of them sat and chatted in Finnish for a little while, Bo listening in awe. Kaapo felt a bit bad for not talking to him as much, but it was  _ so  _ nice to be able to have a full conversation with someone in his first language. It was exciting to talk to someone about Turku, too; he’d been a bit homesick lately.

Before Kaapo went back to work, he noticed Henrik talking to one of the guys Bo was with; another blonde. How many blondes worked on this ranch?

“Who’s that?” Kaapo asked Bo.

“Hm? Oh, that’s Gabe. He’s one of my bosses. You wouldn’t ever tell, but he’s Swedish. Kinda cool, eh?”

“Henrik is Swedish too,” Kaapo said, gesturing to his own boss. “Do they know each other?”

“Hm,” Bo’s eyebrows scrunched together and he cocked his head to the side. Kaapo had to look away; Bo looked too cute. “I’m not sure. That’d be quite a coincidence, though.”

Bo ended up hugging Kaapo before he left, waving with his usual sunny smile on his face. Kaapo was a bit flustered, but he felt like he never wanted that hug to end. 

For the rest of the day, Kaapo almost felt like he was floating, and--okay. He was totally  _ gone  _ for Bo.

//

Kaapo worked the opening shift with Henrik and Brady the next morning. He didn’t usually work that early, but Filip needed someone to cover his shift, and Kaapo was the only one Filip had asked who could take it. 

He was dead tired as he walked in, but he knew Henrik wouldn’t bat an eye if he saw Kaapo making himself a large flat white with caramel (he’d begun to associate caramel with Bo, okay) before they opened the shop.

Halfway through his shift he was ordered to go on his break, and it was still  _ dreadfully  _ early. Kaapo slumped into their singular chair in the back room and began to scroll through his phone when Henrik suddenly popped his head in.

“Hey Kaapo, did I happen to tell you about the team-building activity I planned for us?”

“No,” Kaapo replied. Usually Henrik didn’t disappoint when it came to their team-building parties, so Kaapo was genuinely excited to see what he had come up with.

“We’re all going to a farm!” He said with a little too much enthusiasm for that time of day.

There’s no way Kaapo heard that right. “A… farm?”

“Yeah! I know the guy in charge of that little farm down the road. They sell pumpkins and have a little petting zoo and stuff. It’s super festive for this time of year. It’ll be  _ perfect _ .”

_ Well,  _ Kaapo supposed,  _ It  _ is  _ fall. _

“It’ll be fun. I promise. You’ll be there, right? It’s later in the evening on a weekend, so you shouldn’t have school.” Henrik asked, fixing his gaze on Kaapo a bit heavily.

“Sure, I’ll go,” Kaapo replied, trying not to seem too disinterested and/or intimidated. Neither would be too good of a look around Henrik (although, no look was good when compared to Henrik).

Henrik disappeared with a rather charming grin on his face. Kaapo was still tired and a bit disoriented, so he pushed the whole thing aside and went back to scrolling on his phone for the remainder of his break.

//

And so, Kaapo kind of accidentally forgot about the whole thing until the day before they were supposed to go. Luckily, though, Mika had texted him asking if he needed a ride (which, yes he did.)

The next day, Kaapo found himself in the back of Mika’s car while Chris drove. He and Mika were teasing each other about something, and if Kaapo weren’t already so used to it, he would’ve found it painfully adorable.

The farm was a lot closer than he’d imagined, and it was essentially in the middle of a neighborhood. It was much bigger than Kaapo had imagined, too-- plenty of fields and farmhouses stretching out for what seemed like forever. It was cute, though, and it looked warm and cozy despite how cold it was outside.

Once they parked the car in the makeshift dirt parking lot outside the front gate, they gathered with Henrik and the rest of their coworkers. Henrik handed them each a paper wristband that said “Sakic Farm” in big bold letters.

Walking into the main courtyard, Kaapo was surprised yet again. The place was bustling with families and groups of teenagers, and there was  _ so _ much more to do than he thought. There was a stage for live music, a few fire pits surrounded by wooden benches, a small shack that was a concession stand, and a stack of hay bales that acted like a playground for the kids (it was very messy and very perfect for kids), and on the edge of the courtyard there was a huge tractor with a trailer attached to the back, presumably for tractor rides.

“So, what are we--” Brady went to ask, but was quickly cut off by a rather handsome blonde man walking up to them.

“Henke, you made it!” He said, a bright grin on his face. If Kaapo would’ve seen this guy on the streets, he wouldn’t have  _ ever  _ guessed that he worked on a farm. He was wearing a light jacket and jeans along with some work boots. Nothing super  _ cowboy _ -ish.

“Of course I did! This is the perfect team-building activity for the shop,” Henrik replied, clasping hands with the blonde.

“Welcome to Sakic Farm! I’m Gabe. I run the show around here,” he said, turning to the group. “Feel free to take a look around. We’ve got a lot going on around here. It’s not hard to find something fun or interesting to do.”

Kaapo had no clue that  _ Gabe _ looked like  _ that.  _ He was kind of a lot. How could Bo work with him without  _ swooning  _ all the time?

Rather than sticking together, Henrik allowed them all to split up, as long as they promised to do  _ something  _ and not just sit around. They weren’t there to waste time.

Brady nudged Kaapo and pointed over to one of the barns where there was a small crowd, and Kaapo followed him.

They saw lots of animals; horses, cows, goats, a bunch of chickens, and a rather mean turkey. Kaapo laughed and smiled with Brady the whole time, genuinely enjoying seeing and petting some of the animals. They happened to run into Mikko while they were there too, and Kaapo made sure to say hello.

After a while, Marc found them and corralled them to the courtyard with the rest of their coworkers.

“We’re going to go pick pumpkins,” Henrik announced brightly.

They trudged their way to one of the fields where they found multiple people bending over and inspecting pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. There were several younger men there in maroon long sleeve shirts with name tags; Kaapo assumed that that meant that they worked on the farm.

The group of baristas eventually split up, going to look for pumpkins of their own. Kaapo began looking around, slightly lost, when he suddenly heard someone shouting his name.

“Kaapo! Hey, it’s me!”

Kaapo turned around to find none other than Bo racing across the dirt, grinning up a storm. Kaapo felt his stomach go all fluttery and his cheeks go slightly red. He was thankful that it was a bit cold; he could play off his blush much easier that way.

Wait. This made too much sense. Bo worked  _ here _ . Not far from the shop. Kaapo was in  _ Bo’s  _ workplace for once. It was like the tables had turned, and Kaapo was a little flustered, but  _ very  _ happy.

“I didn’t know you worked  _ here _ !” Kaapo said with a grin. “Kind of funny. I’m seeing you at your job instead of the other way around.”

“It’s awesome, right? I’m so happy to see you here!” Bo suddenly flung his arms around Kaapo, and Kaapo couldn’t help but hug him with just as much enthusiasm. He was  _ with Bo  _ outside of his work and it felt so nice.

“Help me pick out a pumpkin? I don’t know which one to take,” Kaapo asked sheepishly, gesturing at the pumpkin patch.

“Lucky for you, I’m an expert at finding the most perfect pumpkins. Follow me,” Bo said, head raised proudly.

The pumpkin he chose was, in fact, perfect. Not too big and not too small, not a lot of blemishes, and it was perfectly round. Kaapo couldn’t help but want to cling onto it happily despite the fact that it was covered in dirt from the field.

Bo offered to walk with Kaapo back to the courtyard, causing Kaapo to flush a dark red. He accepted the offer, of course, but he kept his face turned away slightly, hoping that Bo wouldn’t see how warm his cheeks were. It was a bit embarrassing. 

“So what brings you here?” Bo asked, twiddling the stem trimmers in his hands.

“Everyone from the shop is here,” Kaapo replied. “It’s a team-building thing. Our bosses know each other, remember?”

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Well, what do you think of it here? I love it this place. It’s like home.”

Kaapo smiled at Bo. He loved seeing him so passionate.

“It’s very nice. Feels very welcome and fun. I really like it here, Bo.”

Bo turned to him and grinned. It was a familiar smile, one he’d seen many other times, but this time it felt much more genuine. After a moment, though, Bo’s face softened and he paused, taking a breath. He opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly some guy on a horse came thundering up to them, stopping right next to Bo.

“Hey, fresh meat, stop flirting and get back to work. Those pumpkins aren’t gonna cut their own stems, are they?” The only thing Kaapo really noted about the guy was the rather evil, mostly-toothless grin that was pointed in Bo’s direction before he rode off, leaving the two boys standing there a bit shell-shocked.

“Well… I guess I really should get back to work. Hey, I’ll see you around though, okay? Have fun!” Bo leaned in and gave Kaapo another hug, this one much more firm than before despite the pumpkin in Kaapo’s arms. Kaapo didn’t mind, though. He’d be happy with any sort of hug from Bo.

As he made his way back to the courtyard, he couldn’t help the grin on his face. He really, really liked Bo, and hey. Maybe he really  _ did  _ have a chance with him.

//

“I think you should do it,” Mika said as he poured espresso beans into the machine. “You like him, he seems to really like you, so why not?”

“I don’t know if he’s straight or not…” Kaapo sighed. “I’m scared that he’ll hate me.”

“Look,” Mika smiled, turning to look at Kaapo. “That kid is like, a living ray of sunlight. I don’t think it’s possible for him to hate anyone.”

Kaapo smiled. Mika was right; Bo was probably one of the most kindhearted people Kaapo had ever met.

“Shoot your shot, okay Kaapo? The worst he could do is say no.”

//

The following Tuesday, Kaapo followed Mika’s advice and shot his shot.

He was a little shaky in anticipation, but he had a plan worked out in his head, and he was going to follow through with it no matter what. He had to; his crush on Bo was starting to become a lot and he needed to do something about it.

So, Bo came through and cheerfully ordered a grande salted caramel mocha. Kaapo took the sticker from the machine and placed it on the cup, then pulled a sharpie from his apron and wrote “ _ Haluaisitko lähteä illalliselle kanssani joskus? _ ” on the cup in the best handwriting he could muster. It was a bit difficult thanks to how his hands were shaking, but he was satisfied with the end product.

He’d admit that that wasn’t the  _ best  _ salted caramel mocha that he’d made, but it wasn’t the worst. It was too late to try again, so he placed a sleeve on the cup and leaned around Filip at the drive thru window to hand the drink to Bo with a smile and a wink, then quickly ducked back inside the shop.

Kaapo waited, somewhat anxiously, for Bo to come around to the front with Wendy. Kaapo decided not to take his break quite yet; it was all part of the plan.

He decided to distract himself by rebrewing the drip coffee, and sure enough, a few minutes later he heard a familiar voice calling his name from the front counter.

Bo was a bit of a mess; face red, hair a bit more mussed up than usual and he was tripping over his words. Kaapo probably would’ve had a small crisis over it if he weren’t so nervous himself.

“So, uh, you wrote me this note, right?” Bo asked, gesturing to his cup. “Well, I know it’s in Finnish but I didn’t want to use Google translate because Google translate sucks, so I snapchatted it to Mikko and he just responded with a bunch of exclamation points? And then he told me I should come inside and tell you “yes” but he never explained what it says…”

“Hey, breathe,” Kaapo said with a small laugh. “It--it says, “would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?””

He couldn’t help but look away when he said it out loud, fearful of rejection.

“You mean… like a date?” Bo asked, still sounding a bit shell shocked.

“Yes.”

Kaapo chanced a look at Bo to find him grinning. Kaapo already thought he was as radiant as the sun, but Bo’s smile in that moment was as beautiful as the galaxy itself.

“I’d love to, Kaapo. That would be amazing.”

The two shakily exchanged phone numbers, Bo promising to text Kaapo and Kaapo promising to text back after his shift. Before Bo left, Kaapo initiated their usual hug (for the first time) and Bo surprised him with a kiss on the cheek.

Kaapo couldn’t help but keep touching the spot on his cheek, and every single time, Kreids yelled at him to wash his hands (even though he was  _ ecstatic _ that Kaapo was finally going on a date with Bo) but Kaapo didn’t mind. He was just so happy and excited that he felt like he was floating for the rest of the day.

//

That Friday after class, Kaapo fixed his hair in his school’s restroom mirror, and then made his way to the farm to pick up Bo from work. Kaapo was taking them to a cute little gluten free bakery that also doubled as a small restaurant; it was perfect for a first date. He knew Bo would love it.

And, he did. Bo couldn’t get over how cozy it felt, and he loved that it was special to Kaapo. Kaapo felt himself falling for Bo even more, but he was still in disbelief that he was  _ actually on a date with Bo. _ It felt surreal, and seeing Bo’s smile made his head spin.

They walked to the movie theater since it was only a couple blocks away and it wasn’t too cold. Either way, that didn’t stop Bo from sticking his hand in Kaapo’s pocket and intertwining their fingers, mumbling sheepishly about how his hands were cold. Kaapo didn’t mind at all; if anything, Bo’s touch made him feel warm from head to toe.

The movie they chose was some cheesy action comedy; Kaapo wasn’t really a fan, but it was the only thing that sounded even remotely good at the theater that evening. It didn’t really matter either way. There was no way Kaapo would be able to focus with Bo  _ right there _ . 

The seats at the theater were nice, big luxury recliners, and not even ten minutes into the movie, Bo lifted the armrest that separated them and leaned into Kaapo’s side. Kaapo was honestly grateful that Bo kept initiating this kind of thing; Kaapo was a bit anxious and he didn’t want to overstep.

So, Kaapo wrapped an arm around him and tugged him close, feeling Bo sigh as he relaxed. Butterflies went wild in Kaapo’s stomach; none of this felt real.

Bo laughed throughout most of the movie, his trademark smile never leaving his face. Kaapo swore he watched Bo more than he watched the actual screen, but he couldn’t help it. Kaapo kept stealing pieces of Bo’s popcorn, causing him to gasp in outrage and try to steal it back, but Kaapo knew it was all in good fun. It was a good thing they basically had the theater to themselves; Bo was  _ not  _ good at keeping quiet.

They both walked out of the theater, content smiles on their faces, hand in hand. It was much colder now that it was nighttime, and Bo basically plastered himself to Kaapo’s side.

“You’re cold? I thought you were supposed to be used to the outdoor weather?” Kaapo asked with a raised brow as he squeezed Bo’s hand that was currently residing in his pocket.

“Well  _ yeah _ , but… Still…” Bo pouted. “It’s not like we’re out in the cold  _ all  _ the time at the farm. Plus, it’s nighttime! It’s always colder at night!”

Kaapo laughed. “I know, I know. It can get cold in Turku, so I guess I’m used to it.”

“I’m from  _ Canada _ ! It’s always cold up there!”

The two continued to bicker happily with each other the whole ride to Bo’s place, which Kaapo learned was home to someone named EJ, who was apparently the head caretaker of the animals at the farm. He was letting Bo stay there for a semester while he got his feet underneath himself.

“Well, this is it,” Bo sighed, turning to look at Kaapo.

“I’ll walk you up,” Kaapo said as he turned off the car. “I’m a gentleman.”

Bo stopped and turned to Kaapo once they reached the front door and offered a soft smile, a blush rising to his cheeks that definitely wasn’t from the cold.

“That was a lot of fun, Kaapo. We should-- we should do something like that again sometime. If you’d be down.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets out of nerves and cocked his head to the side. Kaapo was hopelessly charmed by him.

“I’d love to, Bo.”

“Say, how about--how about next week? We could go horseback riding. I can teach you how if you’ve never been?” Bo’s sentences started to blur together a bit; he was nervous, even though he had no reason to be at this point. Kaapo would give Bo the moon and stars if he wanted them.

“I’ve never been. Sounds fun,” Kaapo kept his face calm, even though on the inside he was freaking out because  _ holy shit, he and Bo were going on a second date. _ This was too good to be true.

“Cool. It’s a date,” Bo grinned brightly.

Without thinking, Kaapo took a step forward, shortening the distance between them. He wasn’t much taller than Bo, but being this close, Bo had to tilt his head up ever so slightly to look at Kaapo. It drove him a little crazy.

Kaapo reached a hand out, gently resting it on Bo’s cheek. Something fuzzy rose in his chest as he watched Bo go breathless, eyes widening.

He leaned in slowly, giving Bo plenty of time to push him away if he wanted to, and closed his eyes, brushing their lips together. 

The kiss was much shorter than Kaapo wanted, but he made himself pull away.

“Was--was that okay?” He asked as Bo stared up at him with wide, dazed eyes.

“I’ve--that--I’ve wanted that for a while, and--I think you should do it again,” He huffed, smiling bashfully.

This time, Kaapo didn’t hesitate; slotting their lips together and slinging an arm around Bo’s waist, tugging him close. Bo wrapped his arms around Kaapo’s shoulders and melted into the kiss, humming softly.

Unfortunately, their need for oxygen eventually took over and they pulled apart, panting ever so slightly.

“I guess I better go,” Bo said with a laugh. “EJ will fine me if I’m not home by a certain time.”

Kaapo cocked an eyebrow at him. This EJ guy sounded like quite the character.

“It’s a long story,” Bo shook his head. “Anyway. I’ll text you, alright?”

“Alright.”

Bo opened the door and stepped inside, but quickly turned back around. “Good night, Kaapo.”

“ _ Hyvää yötä _ , Bo.”

Bo smiled fondly at him, then shut the door with a soft click.

The whole drive home, Kaapo didn’t stop thinking about how beautifully Bo’s hair shone under the moonlight.

**Author's Note:**

> Finnish translations (sorry if they're inaccurate, I used google translate haha):   
"Ohita vain hänet. Hän on tyhmä." Just ignore him. He's stupid.  
"On hienoa tavata toista suomalaista täällä valtioissa." It's great to meet another Finn here in the states.  
"Hyvää yötä" Good night
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and kudos are much appreciated!
> 
> Find me on tumblr @trans-parayko or on twitter @GreatSaveGrubi for more hockey-related shenanigans!


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